Other Football Leagues
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OTHER FOOTBALL LEAGUES {Appendix 3.1, to Sports Facility Reports, Volume 20} Research completed as of August 5, 2019 ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (AFL) LEAGUE UPDATE: Arena Football is the highest-level professional indoor football league and the second longest running professional football league, after the National Football League, in the United States. After the 2018 season, the AFL lost two teams and added three new teams to the league.. The Tampa Bay Storm team has ceased operations. The Cleveland Gladiators are suspended until 2020. Albany Empire joined the league in 2018. Both the Atlantic City Blackjacks and Columbus Destroyers joined in 2019. Team: Albany Empire Principal Owner: George Randolph Hearts III, Dan Nolan, and Ed Swyer Year Established: 2018 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @Albany_Empire Arena: Times Union Center Date Built: 1990 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $69.4 ($1.6: 2010 renovation) Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @TUCenter © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 1 Team: Atlantic City Blackjacks Principal Owner: Trifecta Sports and Entertainment Year Established: 2019 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @aflblackjacks Arena: Boardwalk Hall Date Built: 1929 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $90 restoration (2001) Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @BoardwalkHall Team: Baltimore Brigade Principal Owner: Ted Leonsis Year Established: 2017 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @BMOREBRIGADE Arena: Royal Farms Arena Date Built: 1962 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $14 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @RoFoArena UPDATE: N/A NAMING RIGHTS: In 2014, Royal Farms purchased the naming rights and the deal calls for Royal Farms to pay $250,000 annually for five years. The deal also gives Royal Farms the rights of first refusal at the end of the contract term. © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 2 Team: Cleveland Gladiators Principal Owner: Dan Gilbert Year Established: 1997 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Arena: Quicken Loans Arena Date Built: 1994 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $152 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: 48% Facility Financing: Tax-exempt bonds issued by Cuyahoga County, liquor and cigarette taxes, and the sale of naming rights financed the Quicken Loans Arena. Facility Website Twitter: @TheQArena UPDATE: The franchise team has been suspended with a planned return in 2020. NAMING RIGHTS: Team: Columbus Destroyers Principal Owner: Rich Witmeyer, COO Year Established: 2019 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @AFLDestroyers Arena: Nationwide Arena Date Built: 2000 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $175 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @NationwideArena Team: Philadelphia Soul © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 3 Principal Owner: Craig A. Spencer and Ron Jaworski Year Established: 2004 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @soulfootball Arena: Wells Fargo Center Date Built: 1996 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $206 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: 11% Facility Financing: A private bank financed $140 million, providing the majority of the funding. The rest of the funding came from the State of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia for infrastructure improvements and state capital redevelopment assistance funding for general site improvements. Facility Website Twitter: @WellsFargoCtr UPDATE: Starting in 2017 and continuing into 2018, the Wells Fargo Center has been updating its luxury suites. Phase one of the renovations has been completed. Phase one included renovations to make the suites more spacious, new flooring and seating, new lighting, and entrance and corridor improvements. NAMING RIGHTS: Wells Fargo is paying $1.4 million per year for the arena naming rights until 2023. Team: Washington Valor Principal Owner: Ted Leonsis Year Established: 2016 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @WashingtonValor Arena: Verizon Center, now the Capital One Arena Date Built: 1997 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $260 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: 23% Facility Financing: Private loans financed the building. The District of Columbia provided $60 million in infrastructure costs. Facility Website Twitter: @CapitalOneArena © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 4 UPDATE: In 2017, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owned by Ted Leonsis, announced a new partnership with Virginia-based WGL Energy Services that will enable the Verizon Center to operate using twenty-five percent solar energy. The Washington Valor won the ArenaBowl XXXI by beating the Baltimore Brigade, 69-55. NAMING RIGHTS: Verizon Wireless did not renew its naming rights deal in 2018. Capital One made a ten-year, $100 million deal for the naming rights of the home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals. © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 5 AMERICAN ARENA LEAGUE (AAL) LEAGUE UPDATE: The league launched after the dissolution of the American Indoor Football League. It’s first season was the 2017 season. The league has also formed an alliance with the Can-Am Indoor Football League to futher advance each league’s goals and to promote the arena/indoor football industry. Both leagues plan to share a similar concept and business plan and will continue to run independently of each other. Both leagues will participate in the Arena Football Challenge Cup at the completion of the season. The Arena Football Challenge Cup is open to all professional arena/indoor football leagues, with each league champion playing against each other. At the end of the 2017 season, APF and the Can-Am Indoor Football League merged to create the American Arena League. ATLANTIC DIVISION Team: Carolina Havoc (formerly Atlanta Havoc) Principle Owner: Chris Duffy and Daryl Seabridge Year Established: 2017 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @ArenaHavoc Arena: Florence Center Date Built: 1993 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $22 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @flocentersc UPDATE: N/A NAMING RIGHTS: N/A © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 6 Team: Carolina Predators Principle Owner: N/A Year Established: 2018 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: N/A Arena: N/A Date Built: N/A Facility Cost ($/Mil): N/A Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website: N/A Twitter: UPDATE: Currently still under “travel-only” team. NAMING RIGHTS: Team: Cape Fear Heroes Principle Owner: Barbara Spigner and Crystal Williams Year Established: 2011 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @CapeHeroes Arena: Crown Complex Date Built: 1997 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $55 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @CrownComplexNC UPDATE: N/A NAMING RIGHTS: N/A © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 7 SOUTHERN DIVISION Team: Carolina Energy Principle Owner: Daniel Rudmann Year Established: 2018 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @EnergyCarolina Arena: Bojangles’ Coliseum Date Built: 1955 Facility Cost ($/Mil): $4 Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @TheBOplex UPDATE: City of Charlotte broke ground in 2018 for a structure that will connect the Bojangles Coliseum to Ovens Auditorium. Construction should be complete in 2019. NAMING RIGHTS: Bojangles’ Restuarants, Inc. has maintained the naming rights for the coliseum. Team: Carolina Cowboyz Principle Owner: N/A Year Established: 2017 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: @CarolinaCowboyz Arena: T. Ed Garrison Arena Date Built: N/A Facility Cost ($/Mil): N/A Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: 100% Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: © Copyright 2019, National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School Page 8 UPDATE: N/A NAMING RIGHTS: N/A Team: Peach State Cats Principle Owner: Tim Freeman Year Established: 2018 Most Recent Purchase Price ($/Mil): N/A Current Value ($/Mil): N/A Percent Change from Last Year: N/A Team Website Twitter: N/A Arena: Dalton Convention Center Date Built: 1991 Facility Cost ($/Mil): N/A Percentage of Arena Publicly Financed: N/A Facility Financing: N/A Facility Website Twitter: @NWGTCC